


Nawia, the gates of rift

by zimungard



Category: X1 (Korea Band)
Genre: Angst, Dark Fantasy, M/M, Medieval Age, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Mythology References, Non-Traditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Worldbuilding
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-26
Updated: 2020-03-16
Packaged: 2021-02-26 16:33:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,652
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21971320
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zimungard/pseuds/zimungard
Summary: The hunting for the Robin Hood of our times, Cho Seungyoun, didn't go as planned. The reasons: heavy rain, pouring with a firm force, dark clouds, hiding the last evening light, and dirty mud, which is everything but pleasant to walk on.Not only that, but finding the beautiful male nymph, who's about to reach his heat, wasn't in the plans either.
Relationships: Cho Seungyeon | Seungyoun/Kim Wooseok | Wooshin
Comments: 38
Kudos: 173





	1. Under the tree

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *the biology of the male nymph is the same as it would be of the male omega in the tradional a/b/o*

Each tree, each animal hideout, each narrow path are perfectly memorized. The hunter can sense every brief rustling, every foreign step behind, every threat from miles ahead. Even with the weak light, the hunter’s eyes are long used to the harsh conditions.

Evening in the forest. Dusk is right around the corner, but the sun still has some last words. The only thing that The Great Hunter, Cho Seungyoun, didn’t predict - is the start of the rain. The heavy rain, which together with wind can bend the trees, the lightning of which can start a disastrous fire. The dark clouds are slowly replacing the setting sun. Minute by minute, the vision deteriorates and even for someone as experienced as him - it’s hard to see. He didn’t consider the coming of a drastic weather change as nothing hinted about it. The rain is a sudden, unforeseen event. Seungyoun just wanted to calmly hunt in the last hours of the day, to catch a few wild animals and find healing herbs to sell in the closest village.

It’s getting cold, Seungyoun shivers from the strong wind. He pulls up the hood of his long cape. It doesn’t help as the hair still got completely soaked. His boots are covered in dirty, greasy mud, meshed with grass. 

Breath! He turns around. Suddenly, he hears someone. Someone’s breathing. Here, under the tree. The small, delicate figure. He comes closer. Who is this? A lost spirit? A shapeshifting animal? Maybe, a nymph?

The mysterious being is unconscious, lying in the dirt. His bare feet are buried in grime. It looks like he ran from something, or someone, Seungyoun figures. The only thing that covers the body is a knee-length robe from the rough linen. Little wounds with dried blood here and there, but nothing life-damaging. The skin on the wrists is scratched and swollen. It seems like from the handcuffs. Maybe, the creature run away from the future of being sold out, from the enslavement? Seungyoun often crossed paths with the traders, from who you can buy different otherworld's species. 

Seungyoun looks more intently, trying to find out the exact origin of the being. From the beauty and delicacy of the figure, Seungyoun guesses - it’s a nymph. A male nymph. A rare sight to see. The hunter saw a lot of mystery forms, including some nymphs, but not a male one. It’s for the first time. 

“Hey!” Seungyoun carefully shakes the nymph.

He wakes up, dumbfounded. Fastly blinking and trying to figure out the situation and his place in it. He is seemingly scared, struggling to stand up. The nymph would end up full in mud if Seungyoun didn’t catch him. 

“Do you need help?” he asks in concern, holding the other to not repeat the fall.

Silence in response. He just nods. The nymph is too weak to carry a conversation or even to keep himself up. Seungyoun decides to give the needed help, after all, he can’t leave him just there - in specks of dirt, under the cold rain. People often regard disgracefully about the otherworld's creatures like him, but Seungyoun doesn’t share a similar stigma. Although he is a hunter, every time an animal dies from his hands, he asks for forgiveness, so their unsatisfied spirits won’t haunt the woods. Seungyoun values all forms of life, not excluding this helpless misfortunate nymph. Just mercy for the weak, he thinks.

Seungyoun carries the other on his hands as the nymph is ready at all times to pass out again. His weight is nothing for Seungyoun to lift. The hunter chooses to wait until the mystical being is more recovered and only then he will ask important questions. Who is he? Why he was there? From what did he run away?

Although the nymph is covered in wet mud, soaked all over and dressed in a cheap unwashed robe, Seungyoun can sense something fairly strange. The scent. It’s not that noticeable, but the pleasant sweetness is exuding enough for Seungyoun to feel it. 

“My name is…” the nymph attempts to speak with all the power left, while being carried. “...Wooseok.”

“Don’t ask!” Seungyoun loudly throws in tavern keeper’s direction, bronze coins - payment for one night stay - shatter on the wooden counter. The old man wasn’t going to question the hunter, Seungyoun does a lot of weird things when he visits this area anyway. For example, he brings gigantic mountain birds or bizarre glowing herbs for healing herpes of any kind, so carrying a soaked nymph is not something out of the ordinary. Although he got a number of strange looks from the villagers that spend their evening after work with the cups of booze, preferably with strong rum.

Their room is unbelievably cozy and comfortable, accounting for the state of this small village. Every house around is five minutes away from crashing into the ground from old, used materials. And no matter how much wives and daughters beg their husbands and fathers to restore their homes, they just shrug it off, with the words: “Sorry, darlings, I paid for the drinks. You know, the work is tiring”. And the smell here isn’t for the weak. The always wet and dirty ground that seeped through the animals’ burials, which rot out in the open, filling the air with vomiting, gruesome stink. Then villagers clap their hands in surprise when some unknown illness spreads around. And in this hopelessness and desperation, the warm room with lit candles, throwing the shadows, is more than enough. Of course, the wood on the floor is already decayed but they can handle this - it’s only for one night. 

Seungyoun brought the bowl with warm water for the nymph to wash, holding on the little strength that he has left. Wooseok pulls down his robe, turning and shying away from Seungyoun. The hunter wonders, what there to be shy for? They are both men after all, what’s there new to see?

“Can you, please,” Wooseok weakly requests. “Go out for a moment?”

Seungyoun was about to argue - there is nothing to be humiliated about, but stopped himself in time. Who knows what’s inside the head of male nymphs? It’s better to give in. He needs to grab the food from the tavern, anyway. 

As Seungyoun had no idea what is this creature’s preferences in food, the watery porridge with a cup of tea from suspicious berries would be enough to give a drop of energy, he guesses. Seungyoun settles on the table: he decides to eat here, while Wooseok is scrubbing his skin from the forest mud. 

“Hey,” Seungyoun hears the enthusiastic banter from the next table. “Did you hear about the new curse that's going around people?”

“What? Curse?” the drunk conversation companion can’t grasp the meaning. “Aren’t they happen all the time?”

“No! No!” the other man waves his hands. “This is something different. They say it came from these living things of the otherworld!”

“Then how did we, humans, get that?” the man pinches his eyes in disbelief. Seungyoun is already annoyed by these loud individuals, he just wanted to eat his slightly spoiled meat in silence. 

“Do you think I know?” the first man continues, rising the decibels of his laughter. “Maybe, someone fucked a mermaid and here we are!” he sharply slaps his cup against the table, with beer splashing on the surface. 

“But how can you fuck a mermaid!?” they chuckle, the drops of snort from their noses sweep around. “Does she have a va—"

Seungyoun demonstratively coughs, cracking the drunk dialogue. He could almost lose his hearing from the erupted laughter, piercing straight into the eardrum. The tavern keeper knowingly nods at him, silently thanking for interrupting obnoxious and boozed villagers. The disturbed men judgingly glare at Seungyoun, like he is the one who did such thing to a poor mermaid. But they won’t do anything beyond the harmless stares, the men are aware of Seungyoun’s skilled hunter reputation thus it’s scary to pick a fight.

The meat tastes sour, it’s hard to chew. The smell is even better - it’s not only spoiled but stinks of an uncastrated pig. But Seungyoun isn’t picky when it comes to food, it’s hard to find something pleasant to tongue in those places. To avert his attention from the atrocious taste, the hunter decides to flip a couple of pages from the books, placed on the table for guests to enjoy and forget about what goes inside of them - about the decomposed meal. From the titles like “𝑯𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒐 𝒇𝒂𝒓𝒎 𝒐𝒏 𝒂 𝒅𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒅?” and “𝑮𝒖𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒆𝒂 𝒃𝒓𝒆𝒘𝒊𝒏𝒈”, he chooses the least mundane one - “𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒂𝒓𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝑵𝒂𝒘𝒊𝒂, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅”. Bad choice as it’s extremely boring for the hunter. Seungyoun recognizes all these vaguely described creatures better than the author and already knows the basics of their living, but one passage gets his lacking interest:

“𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑵𝒚𝒎𝒑𝒉𝒔 - 𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒍 𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆𝒔. 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒘𝒉𝒐𝒍𝒆 𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒊𝒔 𝒇𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒎𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒈𝒐𝒂𝒍 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒆𝒙𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒉𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒐𝒖𝒔 𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒗𝒊𝒗𝒂𝒍 𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒕 - 𝒊𝒔 𝒍𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒎𝒆𝒏 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅, 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒖𝒄𝒌 𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒐𝒍𝒆 𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒈𝒚 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒑𝒐𝒐𝒓 𝒉𝒖𝒎𝒂𝒏, 𝒆𝒙𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒄𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒖𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒖𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒄𝒌𝒆𝒅 𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅 - 𝑵𝒂𝒘𝒊𝒂. 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒔𝒆𝒅𝒖𝒄𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒇𝒖𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒖𝒏𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒂𝒌𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒚, 𝒂𝒘𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒎𝒂𝒍 𝒎𝒆𝒏’𝒔 𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒕𝒔, 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒓𝒔𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒊𝒓𝒆. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒚 - 𝒎𝒂𝒍𝒆 𝒏𝒚𝒎𝒑𝒉𝒔, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆’𝒔 𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒍𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒔 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒄𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒇𝒊𝒄 𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆. 

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒊𝒐𝒍𝒐𝒈𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝒏𝒚𝒎𝒑𝒉𝒔 𝒊𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒍𝒚 𝒔𝒕𝒖𝒅𝒊𝒆𝒅, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒂𝒔 𝒔𝒂𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒑𝒐𝒌𝒆𝒏 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒐𝒍𝒅 𝒇𝒐𝒍𝒌𝒍𝒐𝒓𝒆: 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒇𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒕, 𝒔𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒔𝒄𝒆𝒏𝒕. 𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒐𝒅 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒍𝒆. 𝑰𝒕’𝒔 𝒖𝒏𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒄𝒆𝒓𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒊𝒇 𝒎𝒂𝒍𝒆 𝒉𝒖𝒎𝒂𝒏 𝒊𝒔 𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒍 𝒃𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒈, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒔𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒅𝒆𝒄𝒍𝒂𝒓𝒆: 𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒍𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒏 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒆𝒇𝒖𝒍 𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒊𝒏𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒊𝒇𝒖𝒍 𝒇𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆𝒔 - 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒆𝒈𝒂𝒄𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅𝒍𝒚 𝒎𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒔. 

𝑨𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒈𝒆𝒅𝒍𝒚, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒏𝒚𝒎𝒑𝒉𝒔 𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒚 𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒑𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒔. 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒅𝒖𝒄𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒍𝒂𝒘𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒚, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒄𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒖𝒔: 𝒊𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒂 𝒉𝒖𝒎𝒂𝒏 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅, 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒄𝒂𝒏’𝒕 𝒏𝒐 𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒓 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑵𝒂𝒘𝒊𝒂, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒈𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒃𝒆 𝒄𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒆𝒅. 𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒔𝒊𝒏 𝒆𝒙𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒍𝒚 𝒊𝒔 - 𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒍𝒊𝒎𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘𝒍𝒆𝒅𝒈𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒎𝒚𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒐𝒖𝒔 𝒗𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒐𝒖𝒔 𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒆𝒔”

Seungyoun closes the book in dissatisfaction, yawning. It’s so outdated, claiming every living thing, that not a human, as evil. The hunter isn’t even an inch afraid of Nawia’s beings, not even talking about the nymphs. What this small, fragile body can even do to him? Seduce him? Nonsense! Tell Seungyoun another fairy tale. The hunter isn’t desperate for female attention, he could easily find it if he wishes for a good time. Seungyoun is sure - he can control himself. Not mentioning the harmless male nymph, there’s no way a man can sexually excite him. But, of course, Seungyoun could appreciate the beauty in any form if he sees one.

“Did you have enough time to rob me?” Seungyoun enters the room with a joke, the content of which didn’t make an impression on Wooseok. “Anyway,” the hunter retreats after the failed sarcasm. “I brought you some food if this goop can be called like that.”

The nymph gently operates the сoarse spoon, his firm and long fingers clasped around it. Although not born in this world, Wooseok has manners. As the nymph, he has to perform everything in a sophisticated way. Seungyoun lent him his light night robe as Wooseok’s one is drying. He sits close to him, but the nymph is feeling uncomfortable, shifting his chair further from the hunter. He didn’t encounter a lot of humans, Wooseok doesn’t know what to expect. Seungyoun takes his time to observe the mysterious being. Wooseok’s eyes glow in candlelight, his skin is smooth and, Seungyoun swears, you can see it shining. His lips are round and full, occupied by the food, oily from the butter, added to the porridge. This the most gorgeous male form, which Seungyoun ever saw. He even wonders that this comparison could potentially apply among all living forms. 

“Would you tell me,” Seungyoun finally begins the questionnaire. “How did you ended up there?”

“I…” Wooseok cautiously starts, remembering all the events. “I came out of the gates to pick berries, that we don’t have in the otherworld, but I was caught by…” Wooseok lowers his head, it’s a sensitive matter to him.

“Caught by the trader?” Wooseok nods. “You ran away, right?”

“I was running for a long time and got lost. I don’t know where the gates are anymore,” he concludes, pouting.

“Well, I know. It’s around two months of travel, those shitheads really took you far away. Did they do anything to you?” Seungyoun worriedly looks, waiting for an answer. Wooseok waves his head, fortunately, signaling “No” to the question.

“Could you,” Wooseok lowers his eyes, it’s uncomfortable to ask, and out of everyone - ask the human. “Lead me back to the gates?”

“I saw this request coming,” Seungyoun softly laughs. But Wooseok can’t read this emotion, did he say something bad? “I was planning to go in that direction anyway, so yeah...I can get you back.”

“Oh!” Wooseok couldn’t hide his happiness, kind humans do exist? “I will give you any treasure from my homeland!”

“Deal,” Seungyoun agrees. “But I’m not that keen on the treasures. I want to help, I’m not that thick-skinned to leave you, all confused, in this rotted place,” he kindly smiles. “Also, it’s time to explore the far-away lands once again.”

The night came rapidly, already hiding the tavern in the dark. Nobody would wish even for their enemy to be out in the streets at this obscure time, as all the haunting spirits and enraged entities, who were kicked out from the Nawia, are going on the hunt. To find flesh. To find energy. To find blood.

Wooseok moves to the opposite side of the shared bed as much as he can before the possibility of falling on the floor could arise, he’s afraid to touch even an inch of Seungyoun’s skin. As the hunter was left without his night attire, he’s only in the underwear, which is quite loose. Seungyoun slowly falls into sleep by guessing what Wooseok’s smell reminds him of. It’s something familiar, relaxing and pleasant, but it’s still too subtle to pick up the exact flavor. Seungyoun’s sense of smell is heightened due to his hunting job, so he can detect the weakest scents. But that also means: strong aromas can even make him light-headed and the sickening stink in these lands makes him feel dizzy and ready to throw up. Thankfully, Wooseok’s soft odor distracts from the torturous stink, coming from the outside. He’s more than content to finally leave this countryside as he caught and sold enough of the prey.

Early morning. The chilling water from the bucket lands on Seungyoun’s naked body, covered in goosebumps from the coldness. The rays of the spring sun gleam on his wet skin. He’s out in the freezing air - at the back of the tavern. Seungyoun isn’t ashamed of showing his muscular build, drenched in cool water, to anyone who accidentally (or not) sees it. There’s nothing to be shameful about, not even about the nymph, sometimes peeking glances at the back window, being in a tough fight with the approaching blush on his cheeks. Needless to say, he lost it. The hunter washes in such a brutal way to feel fresh and ready for the new adventures. Also, to toughen his immune system, which noticeably worsened over the past weeks. 

Before proceeding with the travel, Seungyoun leads Wooseok to the local market. The hunter wants to buy food, some varnish for the arrows and clothes for his new companion. And although Wooseok flatly refused to change his knee-length robe, he badly needs at least a great long cape and sturdy sandals to survive the demanding journey. In the loud circulation of people, not one or a couple of strangers stare at Wooseok in amazement - but a whole bunch of them. The only time they could see such a rare creation is at the ownership of a rich lord or rather working at the harbor, selling body to the sailors and foreigners. But not like that - freely walking around, with all the beauty radiating for everyone to witness. 

Seungyoun’s last preparation - send the message to his apprentice, Yohan, through the herald-bird. The short memo, tied to the claws, states that Seungyoun is three days away from the capital, so Yohan better prepare everything needed for the hunter to continue his journey - to the gates of Nawia. The bird widely spreads the wings, starting its own adventure, cutting through the air with strong sways. 

“Listen to me carefully,” Seungyoun says, two hours into their course, tightly holding Wooseok’s hand to help him climb the sharp slopes. “If you want to eat - say it, if you’re tired - say it, if you can’t walk - say it. I can’t read minds, so it will be better for us to communicate. And call me just Seungyoun!” 

Seungyoun decides it’s important to claim this statement early on as Wooseok isn’t that talkative. The hunter needs to ensure that the nymph would be comfortable enough to share his struggles. 

Wooseok, in Seungyoun’s eyes, looks vulnerable and unable to defend himself and his delicate body from any physical threat. The nymph triggers Seungyoun’s protective instinct like parents care for their children or lovers for each other. The hunter would like to specify this into the first category, but Wooseok isn’t a child, nor he is a parent. But his thoughts won’t go deeper into this wandering, as it’s foggy and unexplored. It’s just what the strong do for the weak, Seungyoun concludes. Sometimes, he takes the other’s palm to assist on the highlands. Sometimes, wraps his hand around the waist to guard the nymph from falling. At first, Wooseok was involuntary shivering from these gestures, but knowing that it comes from nothing else than kindness and care, now he gladly accepts it.

Seungyoun is sure, they are on the right path, after years of hunting he can know by sense - where is north and where is south. Although the ground is still wet after the heavy rain yesterday, it’s much easier to walk. Shoes don’t slump deep into the mud, at least. The forest is more welcoming in the daytime with sunlight leaking, like honey, through the crack of tree leaves. 

Wooseok grows more tired as he can’t keep up with the walking speed of Seungyoun, who’s at the same time proceeds with quite a few tasks: picking edible berries and mushrooms, enjoying the nature views and humming some bard’s songs about the beer and women. The feel of joy and peacefulness often overcomes Seungyoun when he’s in the forest, which can be called as his second, or even first, home. Sadly, Wooseok couldn’t say for certain that he has a home. Because home - it’s something you want to go back to, to hide from all the danger and where you feel comfortable and safe. He doesn't have that place.

“Wooseok…” Seungyoun gets bored from the exhausting walk, deciding to converse. “What is Nawia like?”

“It’s…” the nymph begins, struggling a little from the passed kilometers. “It’s beautiful and always sunny there, we have a lot of fruitful lands and fields, milk rivers with the sands of sugar, but…” Wooseok pauses, sighing. “It’s hard to live there, despite all the good.”

“Well, it’s hard to live here too,” Seungyoun bitterly laughs. “I knew it, everywhere is just a shithole.” Seungyoun grins even harder from his swear, which gets a subtle smile from Wooseok.

The sun is set. The relief goes through Wooseok's body as they can finally get a long-needed break. The nymph was too prideful to say he got exhausted, waiting until night. With all the craftsmanship and mastery, Seungyoun successfully makes a fire with the fallen and dried tree branches and flintstone. They have a bite of light food, bought at the market - mostly bread with stewed fish. Although the hunter wasn’t sure about the whereabouts and origins of this sea creature, the look and smell didn’t tell anything suspicious. 

“Here,” before they go to sleep, Seungyoun takes out a necklace from his travel bag. “Amulet, this will keep the hungry spirits and other monsters away from you at night.”

“I don’t need it, they won’t touch me. I’m higher in the otherworld's hierarchy from them,” Wooseok explains, interrupted by the hunter putting the amulet on him, the rubber stretches on his head.

“I wouldn’t risk it,” Seungyoun says almost a millimeters away from Wooseok’s face, hanging the necklace. Wooseok can feel his breath - it’s warm, his hands are smooth, flattening the amulet on his neck. 

Although Wooseok was sure with the double defense - amulet and the Nawia’s conduct - no one could touch him, he is scared nonetheless, wrapping himself up to the head with the old and dirty Seungyoun’s blanket for sleepovers at night. Sometimes he would peek from the fabric. Glowing pair of eyes. Not one pair, but dozen of them are seen in the darkness. Some of them circle around the travelers and don’t dare to move closer due to the amulet’s powers. Without any supply of light, Wooseok can’t recognize the owners of these eyes. Earth spirits? Tree spirits? Maybe, satyrs? Those hideous creatures with horse-like legs, who especially have a like for nymphs? He can hear their loud open-mouthed breath as they already salivated themselves, thinking about the flesh and blood in the front. This close, but yet untouchable. The nymph didn’t get used to experiencing the nights, as the sun in Nawia shines all the time, and adding the demented behavior of lost and wandering spirits, who, in the otherworld, wouldn't dare to even look at him, is horrifying for Wooseok. It seems like Nawia’s laws don’t work here. Howling and incomprehensible low mumble fills the forest. Terror and dread take over him, shiver moves down his spine. He starts shaking.

“Seungyoun…” Wooseok whispers, waking the other up from the light phase of sleep. “...It’s scary.” 

Seungyoun, without a second thought, like it should be this way, places a hand on Wooseok and pulls him near, still half-asleep. They are so close, too close, the nymph’s fuzzy hair almost tickles Seungyoun’s nose. The warmth from the hunter’s body reaches the other’s shivered skin, although they lay in clothes. At this moment, not fully awake, Seungyoun suddenly realizes, what this smell reminds him of, as the source of it is right here, closer than ever before. 

Caramel. Not the cheap one that the merchant would sell you, but the homemade one, with all the love poured into making it. The one, which his mother used to cook. The scent of his childhood, when he had nothing to worry about, nothing to fear, nothing was burdening him. The sweetness, not much until it becomes too saccharine, but the exact right amount. Seungyoun could almost taste it - this sticky sugary paste. In his reminiscence, Seungyoun calmly falls asleep, dreaming about home-like caramel. Wooseok follows shortly after, relaxing under Seungyoun’s caring hold and tightly gripping the wooden links of the amulet.

In the morning, the task of keeping up with Seungyoun becomes harder. The hunter notices it, slowing down the hike. Wooseok feels weak, barely dragging his legs, although he should be rested and have energy after the spent night. But there is a reason for this. Defiant and clear reason. 

“Seungyoun…” Wooseok mutters. He almost faints, grabbing the closest tree to keep himself on foot. His eyesight deteriorates and gets blurry. The burning ache in his lower body. But not only Wooseok undergoes the changes, Seungyoun is also experiencing _something strange_. The caramel scent pierces his nose with more power than ever, he’s dizzy from its force. His pupils widen. The hunter’s vision becomes more vibrant as the levels of sugar in the blood rise, releasing into his system.

Wooseok puts a hand under his robe, lifting the fabric. The fingers touch his exposed skin there - inside the short trousers. The wet and sticky feeling. Savory smell.

The heat has started.


	2. Closer to an animal

Terrible. That’s how Wooseok’s state can be described. Horrible. Agonizing. Although his mental state is elevated from the endorphins, his body is aching. This dissonance turns his psyche into chaos. Spasms spread across the muscles, limbs are weak and powerless. Wooseok can’t control them in the haziness of mind. The fever together with the rise of blood pressure, produces the ear ringing noise and temporary, for a few seconds, loss of sight.

During the first few hours, these symptoms were mild and, at least, tolerable. They got worse, much worse than he could expect. He saw it coming although it arrived sooner than he predicted - due to the emotional stress. Two days ago, when Wooseok felt incredibly exhausted even after simple tasks like eating and washing - he knew. Soon, it will be there. But he couldn’t do anything about it, he isn’t in Nawia, where you can just make a tea from the chaste tree fruits to fix the chemical imbalance during pre-heat. Those trees don’t grow here, in the human world. He needs to withstand this, to have enough stamina to concur his biology. It won’t be easy, as Wooseok never experienced the unsuppressed heat, in its full form and glory. 

Wooseok believed he would survive through it without harsh consequences. But it was a baseless belief. He can’t. Doubtlessly and certainly - can not. 

Not only Wooseok endures a rough time, to the point of falling out of his consciousness. Seungyoun notices the odd changes within himself too, but he can’t accept yet what they mean and what they entail. As Wooseok is unable to walk due to dizziness and lack of movement control, Seungyoun carries the nymph piggyback for some time, until the evening reaches the forest. He hangs his travel bag and quiver for the arrows on the front.

The hunter skin grows sensitive. He can feel how Wooseok emits warmth from his body right into his spine. How the nymph's hands are helplessly embracing his neck, wiping the hunter’s sweat, which has been flowing for a bit of time. And it’s not because he is tired from lifting Wooseok’s weight. It’s because he’s aroused, greatly and extremely aroused. It’s because the nymph's thighs tightly sealed on his sides, hot and steamy, rubbing against the fabric of his tunic. It’s because he holds Wooseok’s knees and the bare skin there is smooth and creamy for the touch. It’s because the scent’s pheromones crawled into his vessels. Because he feels Wooseok’s erection, pressing onto his back. Even the slightest touch of their bodies causes sensations through his organism.

Seungyoun shakes his head. He needs to focus. Focus on the road, don't lose his attention even for a second. But when he does - Seungyoun wants him. Wishes to take him right here, on the spot. How much he convinces himself about the opposite, the truth is: the hunter sees Wooseok, who hangs on his back, in a sexual light. Something he never considered could happen, even with the use of magic. But he didn’t forecast nor known about the magic of hormones, raw and animalistic in its form.

It’s time for a night stop. Seungyoun removes his cape and places it on the cold ground for Wooseok to rest, while he lights the fire. The hunter lowers his eyes, with all his might and patience he tries not to look at Wooseok, not to catch him even on the side view. But involuntary, answering the call of nature and lingering of attraction, he steals a glance here and there, during the preparation of campfire. And what he sees: Wooseok in a fever delirious state, turning in his place, crumpling the fabric of a cape underneath him. He is panting, lets out heavy breaths. His hair sticks to the forehead from sweat, emitting because of the high temperature. But the more he sweats - the more caramel scent is exuding with it, Wooseok’s body doing everything for the desired procreation to happen. And it works. 

Seungyoun is yearning for this too, for an act of intimacy. The hunter feels like he could howl from the intensity of his thirst like he is back to his puberty teenage phase, when he found almost anyone attractive enough to have sex with due to the surge of hormones, but no - this is much worse. Much, much worse. And he doesn’t want just anyone, he needs Wooseok and Wooseok only. The lust overcomes him, he closes his eyes to avert the attention. Seungyoun tries to think about the disgusting things, the further from the sexual - the better. He imagines the spoiled meat. Right, the meat that he ate at the tavern. How he bites it and its atrocious taste after. But what it’s like to taste Wooseok, what's his skin texture like? Is it better than meat? It must be a lot better, it should be. Because his skin is warm and mushy, his body fat on the thighs is easily squeezed in the palm. What it’s like to lick them? To live a trace of saliva, to wet his flesh? To push his legs apart and...

“Seungyoun,” the swarm of thoughts interrupts. The hunter opens his eyes and instantly reacts to the voice, to Wooseok’s cry for help.

“I’m here,” he reassures. Seungyoun wonders, did the nymph noticed the shift in his behavior? He tries to act as naturally as possible as if the heat, which he read about in the bestiary book, has no influence over him. “I just lit the fire, it will scare the spirits away,” he tries to think of the ways that can ease Wooseok’s condition. “Maybe, you need water?”

He takes out the canteen, made from some caught animal intestine. Knees in front of Wooseok and lifts his neck to ease the process of drinking. The nymph’s lips, puffy and red from the high body temperature, сlasp around the bottle. With another hand, Seungyoun tilts the canteen to let the water flow into the other’s throat. Seungyoun fixes his gaze, staring at the mouth. Wooseok slowly moves, sucking the water. Sucking and sucking again. His lips are moist and full, filled with blood. He misses a few drops of water and it slides down his chin. His throat opens and closes, swallowing the liquid, the hunter notices how the muscles are working. Seungyoun imagines what it’s like to be inside these lips, what it's like to feel them tightly clench around you, the hardened flesh being covered in the nymph's saliva. How warm and sleek it can be? It would be magnificent. Out-of-this-world. But what about the other _inside?_ Is it tight? Tighter than anything he tried before? His bulge stiffens harder against the leather pants.

“Seungyoun,” Wooseok addresses again, removing his lips from the canteen, signaling that he had enough. 

“I have healing herbs, I can make the essence for you. It will break your fever,” he touches the nymph’s forehead to check the temperature, his skin is hot. His sweat is giving off the scent and Seungyoun would like to drink it, to taste the caramel from his childhood, at least from one of Wooseok’s bodily fluids.

“Seungyoun, I need your help...” Wooseok repeats, half-conscious.

“I’ll help, I just need to make the…” Seungyoun is interrupted by the nymph, weakly tugging on his tunic to keep seated.

“Wait…” his voice comes in a whisper. “Help me…” 

He lifts his robe up to the stomach. His trousers are slightly wet from the sticky substance. With begging, pleading expression, Wooseok looks at Seungyoun once again.

"Please, help me…" his eyes are glowing from the filling tears. "I don't know if I can survive this...please," he grips the lifted robe harder.

Seungyoun constantly switches his gaze from Wooseok’s face to his lower body. What it’s like to be buried in this oily slick? Slipping in and out as the skin tenses around you? In this inner conflict, he can't decide the right action. Or would it be the wrong one? 

In the silence, caused by Seungyoun's mental turmoil, Wooseok takes his hand. Guides it inside of his trousers. The hunter doesn't break off because he wants it too, that's his true desire and his unfulfilled thirst. To finally feel it.

With Wooseok's guidance, Seungyoun can feel the slick, or rather caramel paste in the hunter's mind, enrolling on his fingers. It’s warm, heated by the nymph’s walls. The visions appear in Seungyoun’s mind: the nymph underneath him, begging for more, to go deeper and with more force, inside every part of his core. 

Wooseok moves his legs apart, bending in the knees. "Come here...I can't overcome this alone...please, end this suffering...," it's hard for Wooseok to talk as his state is getting tougher and tougher as the time goes. "I think I could die…"

"Die...?" the hunter repeats. Is this a pity waking up in him? Is the mercy just the cover for fulfilling extreme lust? In the fogginess of mind, he couldn't recognize. There's just hopes that it comes from something higher than the sexual hunger.

Seungyoun shifts his position to between Wooseok's legs, pulling his hand from the trousers. The nymph struggles to take off the underwear, lifting his waist. The hunter helps, gently pulling it, moving Wooseok's limbs upwards. 

"Do I...do this with my fingers?" Seungyoun hesitantly asks, his patience coming to an end.

The nymph pushes his head up, he directs his gaze at Seungyoun's crotch as the other is still in a misunderstanding. The hunter catches this glance. He understands the hint. This is the last drop: he can't maintain rational thinking anymore. The border is crossed.

"Push it apart...before you…," Wooseok advises.

Of course, Seungyoun heard about the men engaging in sexual relationships. He even knows about the process and the needed steps. But the hunter never experienced it with a man before, nor he thought it could ever happen to him. But the forbidden fruit is right in front of him, leaking with a sweet-scented natural slick. And he responds to this primal instinct.

Seungyoun pushes his finger inside, with another hand he helps Wooseok to lift his waist. The hunter can't think of anything else as the anticipation occupies him. Finger easily slips inside as the walls are already thoroughly lubricated by Wooseok's body. 

"One more…" Wooseok adds, biting his lip. He doesn't feel the pain as his receptors shut down due to the heat. But he is able to feel the pleasure that is soon to come.

Seungyoun inserts another finger on the command. The path is wide enough, slippery and warm, clenching around his fingers. Wooseok pushes his shoulders up to look at Seungyoun, his elbows make a pit in the ground. The hunter is engrossed in the task, his mouth is opened, eyes are filled with desire, focusing on the body underneath.

"I can, right..?" Seungyoun asks, his voice is lower than usual. This question is the last barrier before the hunter will lose his mind.

"You can," Wooseok lifts his robe higher, so nothing will disturb them. He wants to finally break free from agony.

Seungyoun unbuttons his pants. Pulls his short braies to the knees, revealing an organ that has been aching for too long. Precome is already smeared around his head. He lifts Wooseok's waist, tightly gripping it until the skin pales from the force around his hold. The hole is right at the level of his pelvis. Time to start.

Wooseok closes his eyes, through the fever haze and muscle's numbness, he can still feel. Feel it going inside with a splattering noise, how his walls are pushed apart from the pressure, accepting Seungyoun. The impulses are sending across his body.

"Ah…"

He can't hold it in, even with the chewed up lip. The sound reaches Seungyoun's ears. He thrust again, with a sharp force. The skin is slapping, meeting together. It’s as tight as he imagined. No, even better as this isn’t imagination. Seungyoun can ultimately fulfill the nature imperatives that bothered his mind from the moment Wooseok’s powerful scent pierced his sense of smell.

"Mm…"

Wooseok can't keep himself silent, his moans are filling the space around them, flowing through the night forest, through the trees and wood. The fire throws the shadows on the travelers, they see each other painted in the orange light. The one looks at the smooth flesh, greasy with slick and stretched by his cock. Another sees the man, standing on his knees, who got overflowed by the desire, pushing his hips with great power. 

Wooseok slowly loses control over his legs as they up in the air. Seungyoun takes off one hand from his waist and pushes the inside of Wooseok's thigh. He needs to keep them open for a more comfortable process, for the cock to be deep inside, for the penetration to be smooth and thrusts right into the sensitive spot. 

"Seungyoun…" Wooseok mumbles, there's one important detail he can't forget about his heat. "Don't... release …" his words keep being interrupted by the hard thrusts, "...inside of me."

His voice is cut by the thunder. Loud shuttering resonates in the forest, vibrating through the ground. The lightning strikes somewhere far, reflecting their bodies in the blinding blaze. Another thrust. The nymph’s intense moan. Heavy rain, which quickly gains its power. Wooseok feels how drops fall on his feet, lifted in the air. He shivers from the cold. The splashing noise between their skin. Seungyoun doesn’t stop. Loud breaths. The fire lights off from the powerful downpour. They are left in the dark. This tree is the last shelter, hiding them from the rainfall. Another strike of lightning. Wooseok startles and meets the next push of the hunter’s hips. Wooseok’s elbows slide on the mud, which is now wet from the rain. 

The next thrust. “Ah,” Wooseok is close to the orgasmic state, the oxytocin releases from his brain, easing the body pain. The agony from the heat soothes, the scent weakens. Wooseok comes almost dry - during the mating cycle, his body doesn’t create semen. The nymph convulses from pleasure in Seungyoun’s hold. But the latter doesn’t stop. 

Wooseok notices the eyes, glowing in the dark around them. He holds his amulet, his hand is dirty from the mud, which he involuntary dug to hold onto something during thrusts.

“Seungyoun,” the nymph is overwhelmed and his body is exhausted. “They are...looking at us.” The hungry spirits from the otherworld intently watch their intimate act, feeding from the lustful energy and greed.

“Let them look. I don’t care,” the hunter responds, his voice is sharp. If there was a light, Wooseok could see how dark and cloudy Seungyoun’s eyes have become. Dark from the instincts and pheromones, the influence of which imprisoned him until the end. 

He makes the last thrust, the last smacking of flesh. Wooseok’s hole already became swollen from the constant penetration. The nymph's body is powerless, he feels almost paralyzed from overstimulation. His throat is sore, he’s tired to even moan, resorting to hollow sobs. Seungyoun pulls out, his come spills on the ground, he didn’t forget about the nymph’s wish. Wooseok finally relaxes and closes his legs, there’s stinging pain in his lower back. But he feels better, times better than before - in the aching of the heat.

Seungyoun puts his pants on, his tunic got slightly drenched from the raindrops, flowing through the cracks of tree drenches. He wipes the sweat from his forehead with the sleeve. The hunter notices the spirits, circling and hiding behind the bushes. He isn’t fazed by them nor by their attentive stares.

In a moment, Wooseok hears – the dull sound of coughing. 

Seungyoun bends, covering his mouth, gasping for air in-between hard coughs. The hunter looks at his palm, the weak moonlight reaches his skin. Blood. The bitter, metallic taste on his tongue. The blood clots are staining his hand, while the red string streams from the corner of his mouth. It flows down his chin, which is still wet from the body steam. The curse attacks his body, spreading through the veins. 


	3. Cloud factory

“Is it because of me?” Wooseok asks, noticing the drops of blood on the grass. They shine in the moonlight, mixing with the rainwater. 

“Yes, it’s because of you,” Seungyoun turns to look at the nymph, bending and supporting himself by pressing hands on his knees. “Do you feel better now?”

“I do...but,” Wooseok is amazed that even in this situation, Seungyoun isn't choosing himself as the priority. “You...what about you?” Wooseok leans his back against the tree, still regaining his state of mind after the fever attack.

“I caught the Nawia’s curse,” he swallows the blood, remaining in his mouth. “I know other hunters, who got into this trap by killing various creatures. Who knew you can also find it like that?” he says with a hushed laugh, realizing what just occurred between them - the epitome of being close, which could ever happen between the two people. "I have medicine at home. We will be there, in the capital, tomorrow. I’ll be fine," he assures.

_*** * *** _

Yohan, the hunter's apprentice, sits outside - on the porch, beside the wooden wall of the house. Today, Seungyoun showed up with an unexpected guest. Was it a nymph? Yohan wonders. But his curiosity is more occupied by another thing: why did the hunter ask him to go out?

"Yohan…" the hunter said, carrying in the arms his new friend, who's covered in a cape from head to toe. "I need you to hang around the city for a bit, can you?"

Yohan's obedience and respect for the hunter never permitted him to act against the wishes of his teacher. He left the house but the weather is too hot and the streets are too dusty to have any desire to walk around. Instead, Yohan decides it's better to wait here, this morning is too lazy to do anything else.

Usually, the situations, in which Yohan was asked to leave the house are connected with women. Seungyoun is popular with ladies in this city but he is often oblivious to their true intentions. Most of them want to get marry as having the hunter for a husband can boost your status and to add - Seungyoun wasn't any close to being poor. Those are highly attractive attributes in the current hard times. On some occasions, girls just wanted to brag about spending the night with a notorious hunter. Yohan is smart enough to guess what Seungyoun could do while being locked in a room with an attractive woman. But this time - he has no idea.

Kids are running around, making loud noises and cheering one another. The apprentice flashes a half-smile, watching children play on the cluttered street. Their clothes are covered in dirt, which is filling every corner of the city. The streets are always full of nasty fog - to the point, where you can't see more than thirty centimeters around you. The reason - working manufactories. The smoke from production is fuming into the air at every hour of the night and morning. The smell of burning rubber, far from a pleasant one, is poisoning the citizens year by year. The life of the capital, like any other city - be it close or far, is described by "survival". 

The kids are still unbothered by the adult life, that's coming for them mercilessly at the rapid speed. They will have to work in the city's factories, eating their health away. But for now, the elders tell: "You will be in that factory. And you will make clouds" - to not scare the children away from the ruthless future and to romanticize the toxic pink smoke, which stains the sky, into the beautiful clouds.

On this narrow street, Seungyoun's house is the only one that furnished with flowers - inside and outside. Seungyoun couldn't deal with the smell from manufactories. He was in a constant search of plants, sometimes picking them in the forest, sometimes buying from the florist if he wants something more exotic. As much as the hunter wished to, despite the stink, he couldn't leave the capital because it proposes the widest potential for the trade.

"Mm…"

Yohan hears the muffled noise from the house, he sticks his ear to the wall. What in the world could they do inside? Is the hunter healing the nymph from something and the process is painful? Yohan swears, if he hears it one more time, he will let his curiosity win and look in the keyhole. 

"Ah…" 

That's it. He will look. Nothing criminal, he'll just take a peek. He places his eye on the lock, pinching to see better. His vision accustomizes and the picture becomes more clear.

"What are you doing?" the door opens. Yohan almost falls from the unexpected loss of support. Seungyoun looks at his apprentice in suspicion, tensing his brows. "Didn't I tell you to hang around?"

"I was j-j-just…" Yohan stands up, stuttering in the search of the defense against the accusing question. "I was worried, I heard the sound and…" Yohan lowers his eyes.

"Sound?" Seungyoun's clenches his lips, if Yohan looks up - he would notice the embarrassment in the hunter's expression. "That's nothing to worry about, I only helped my guest," Seungyoun didn't see the need to tell about the helping process more specifically, this detail is enough.

“But what you did exactly? I’m... curious. Maybe, you could teach me?”

“I’m not the one to teach you, that’s for sure,” Seungyoun clicks his tongue. “You will know when you get older.”

“I think, I’m old enough to know,” Yohan enters the house. Wooseok, in his linen robe, sits on the bed. He has blushful cheeks and the tips of his bangs are wet. Finally, Yohan can see Wooseok’s face in full. “Woah…” the apprentice can't keep his gasp, seeing the beautiful creature in only two meters apart. 

“Then you will know, when you get yourself a girlfriend,” Seungyoun continues. He looks around the orangery, seeking for one particular flower.

“But what can you do with him that I can do with a girlfriend?” 

At these words, Wooseok swallows his lips to not display the mocking smile, while Yohan still can’t solve the confusion.

“I think the answer is already in your question,” Seungyoun feels frustrated that his search didn’t end with success. “Yohan, where is a fern flower?”

“Didn’t you hear? There are a lot of people, who caught the Nawia’s curse. I gave it to the ill, they can’t find it in the city anymore - it gets sold out in minutes,” Yohan comes closer to Seungyoun, he feels intimidated by Wooseok's presence. “People asked for help, did I do wrong?” 

Seungyoun sighs: “You did right, I would do the same myself. It’s just… let’s say... I caught something.”

The apprentice opens his mouth, surprised. His teacher wasn’t careful enough? 

“Then I need to look around the city, there have to be some on the market,” he takes his cape. The hunter doesn’t want to waste time, which could be spent on the road to Nawia - it’s better to search for the cure now. “Give him something to eat,” he points at the nymph. “I’ll be quick.”

That’s what Yohan was the most scared of: being one-on-one with the mysterious guest. Although Wooseok’s scent is almost gone, the amount that he emits is enough for Yohan to feel the light intoxication. The effect of which scares the apprentice even more.

“W-w-what would you like to eat?” Yohan rubs his neck.

“Anything.”

“Anything?”

Wooseok nods with enthusiasm. But his answer puts Yohan in a more unfortunate place than before. Now, he has to choose what to serve.

“Soup?”

“Soup!”

That was easy. Maybe it’s not that hard to deal with the guest? Yohan warms the soup on the hearth, listening to the rustle of burning wood, while Wooseok sits on the bed. He sways his legs, which are too short to touch the floor. To ease the tension, the apprentice whistles a familiar tune, sometimes glancing at Wooseok. 

“Here,” Yohan invites the nymph to the table. The plate is filled with greasy soup. Wooseok comes closer and Yohan involuntary steps back. He still feels threatened by the Nawia’s being. 

“Are you scared of me?” even with the not so wide social skills, Wooseok could notice the obvious.

“I… ” Yohan is about to protest but he is interrupted by the peck on his cheek. The nymph is on the tiptoes, so he can reach Yohan’s face.

“Thank you for the food,” Wooseok sits at the table right after, nonchalant as if nothing happened. The nymph didn’t know that the human conduct of thanking a stranger doesn’t involve kissing on the cheek. Yohan rubs his face, dazed by the sudden act of gratefulness. 

“Can you believe it?” Seungyoun comes back, shutting the door in anger. “I looked around the black market but there’s none! The merchant also said that he can't find them anywhere close, it's sold out.” Seungyoun continues, coming near the table: “Wooseok, do you remember the promise to gift me the treasure when I’ll lead you to the gates? I decided what it will be - the fern flower. They grow only in your world."

“Will you have that much time? The road is long,” Yohan asks, not hiding his worry.

“I told you, I’m not that sluggish to die from it,” Seungyoun smiles, trying to ease everyone’s concerns. “Some healing herbs to keep me going and I’ll be alright on the trip,” he places his hand on Wooseok’s shoulder, the nymph is still occupied by the food. “Do you feel better? I worked really hard this time.”

Wooseok nods, feeling how blood rushes to the lips, the tips of his ears become red.

Later that day, the adventure continues. The footpath is still visible as they aren’t far from the capital. Although Seungyoun tries to act like his usual energetic self, Wooseok could notice the changes. The hunter has shortness of breath and doesn’t walk at the same speed as the day ago. The overall weakness is seen in his body and stance. Thankfully, Wooseok’s heat has ended, which now relieves Seungyoun from the constant battle with his primal desires.

At night, shivering from the cold, Wooseok clings to the hunter. Their backs against each other. They decided to travel by the river, the noise of which calms the nymph down. He spent his day in a mental turmoil of worrying about the hunter’s health. His body is tired from pouring its energy into the neverending hiking. In a sleepy haze, his eyelids drop. 

The melody. The haunting and looming voice reaches the nymph’s ears. Is this a dream? He knows the song, he heard it a hundred times before - in the Nawia. Is his brain replicates it and puts it inside his lethargic mind? 

“I will stay

one night beside you,

never go 

back to the sea.”

The voice is too clear and the volume is too loud. This can’t be a dream. Wooseok tries to open his eyes, which are now shut by the influence of the song. With all his power, he tries to evoke the drowsy mind. 

“I will stay 

and be thy husband,

though it be 

the death of me.”

The hypnotic sound stops. It’s replaced by the muffled, false laugh.

“Wooseok, long time no see,” the tone of the foreign being almost mellows into the air from how high and clear it is.

Samodiva, the water spirit, crawled on the narrow shore, letting her hair down. She hides her goat hooves under the water. The white robe is covered in holes and ready to crumble into powder from the material's old age. She doesn’t hold the same beauty anymore, which was the sole reason of jealousy for the creatures like Wooseok. Back in the otherworld, she often delivered the harsh remarks his way, whenever he came close to the lake - her living place.

"Why are you here?" the nymph rubs his eyes to shake away the remaining sleepiness.

"Just looking for a man," she smiles, demonstrating the rotten teeth, some of which already fell out. "I see that you lured one."

"I'm not luring anybody!" Wooseok raises his voice. Seungyoun is still deeply asleep under the charm of the hypnotic song as it's much harder for a human to get out of this state.

"Then what are you doing?" the samodiva expresses her confusion at the nymph's strange behavior. 

"I am…"

"You don't know yourself, right? You have so much potential, it's a pity that you're so foolish," she smirks and brushes the hair, sometimes pulling out the small dead fish from the curls. "But you got yourself a good one out there," she glances at the hunter.

"He's not mine." 

"Stop lying to yourself. Is it wrong to fulfill your responsibilities to the Nawia? That's what you should do."

"Quit this! I don't care about these responsibilities! I don't care about luring men! I don't care about killing them! I don't care about sucking their energy!"

The samodiva grows silent, while Wooseok is standing on the shore, crossing his hands. The nymph unleashed all the annoyance, piled up from the spirit's poisonous tongue. He kept it in himself for too long.

"I can check if you genuinely don't care," she laughs, hiding her mouth with the back of the hand. The nails are broken and coated in funguses from the constant moisture. "I can destroy your hard work in one minute."

She clicks her fingers. The eyes turn black, while she intently looks at Seungyoun's sleeping body. His chest rises up and down. It fastens and his breathing becomes louder. The hunter clutches his throat, rolling around in shock. He can't open his eyes under the effect of a song's spell. The amount of air in his lungs goes down. His pulse increases as he starts choking and getting muscle spasm.

"Stop it!" Wooseok rips off his amulet. Throws it in the samodiva. The wooden link hits her shoulder, before bouncing on the ground. Her skin on the stung spot burns, smoke comes out of the wound.

She hisses at Wooseok, revealing the black and decayed fangs. The nymph turns to look at Seungyoun, who still holds his throat in the hopes of catching oxygen. His lips are blue.

"I said stop it!" the nymph digs the soil, filling his palm with the dirt. Tosses it in the spirit’s face as she is preoccupied with the wound, trying to wash away the burning pain with water. The soil strikes her in the eyes, itching them. She goes back - under the river, to not let the damage from the amulet grow bigger until it will completely burn her body.

Seungyoun makes a heavy breath, his eyes are wide open. He turns to the side, coughing and filling his lungs' capacity back.

"Seungyoun," the nymph places a hand on the hunter's back, tapping it with a gentle touch. "It was a water spirit, she is gone now."

Seungyoun looks at him, the hunter’s pupils are big from the panic. His chin is covered in the trails of saliva from coughing.

"Strange," he sits, trying to calm his heartbeat and recover the regular breathing. "They never attacked me before."

Wooseok hugs the hunter, rubbing the nose against his shoulder and hiding the watery eyes. 

"Why are your hands so dirty?" Seungyoun notices Wooseok’s arms that hold his waist.

"It's nothing,” the nymph buries his face even more into the fabric on Seungyoun's shoulder. It was scary. It was so scary to lose him - to lose Seungyoun. The spirit is right. Wooseok cares about the man. Cares too much, much more than it's allowed for his nature.

Seungyoun brushes the nymph's hair, responding to the affection. Wooseok raises his head to lock eyes with the hunter. The nymph's eyes are even more beautiful, shining in the light, casting from the water, and filled with the wet glittering from tears.

The next day, their speed of walking isn’t faster than yesterday. It doesn't help that Seungyoun is restoring himself from the shock, which he suffered at night. Seungyoun finds tough for himself to eat because of the nagging ache in the throat. For Wooseok, it's painful to see how hard the hunter pushes his will. The nymph wishes for Seungyoun to swear at him, to scream at him for once. To say: "I'm ill because of you, wicked creature!". Because the guilt is eating him up, makes him weak and anxious. Each coming day - Seungyoun's kindness becomes harder for Wooseok to receive. Because he doesn’t deserve it nor can repay it to the same extent.

"Teacher!" 

The scream interrupts the hiking. The travelers look behind - at the footpath. Yohan runs forward with the travel bag, swaying from the movement. The apprentice stops and catches his breath after running for a long time. The energy, spent on the exhausting road, is worth it. Because he came to bring the news. Good news.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the spirit's song lyrics are from the 'Heather Dale – The Maiden and the Selkie'


	4. Picturing the past

A few days ago. Nawia.

The sun, which never sets, is heating the ground. The weak wind is enough for the pleasant feeling of breeze. The best living conditions that you could only think about are found in the Nawia. But for this lovely life, you have to pay.

"How much more you will feed for free?!" the lady, Queen of the Nymphs, shouts. Hands crossed on her chest. "Why are you wasting your beauty!? Make use of it!"

Wooseok leans on the tree and rolls his eyes in frustration, ignoring any sense of authority. "I don't wanna take this dirty job." 

"You have to! You need to work for your motherland!" the drops of spit fly from her mouth and the lady's face, once beautiful and charming, now old and wrinkled, distorts in anger.

"Are there any other ways? I'm not going to lure people here!" Wooseok protests, with not even a hint of fear towards someone higher in a hierarchy.

"You are saying like you care about them! Wake up, you don't have a soul!"

"It doesn't mean that I don't have feelings!" the nymph’s gaze is confident and sharp. 

"Enough! You played around more than needed,” she retorts, lifting her hand with green and misplaced fingernails, fragile from the old age. Snaps her fingers. “Get out! Come here with a living human next time!"

The matter of the otherworld breaks, twisting and disfiguring the reality. An entry appears, at the place of the tree, a door with no handle or form, which leads to the world of humans and their rules.

The next second, Wooseok finds himself in an unknown forest, which gets more gloomy as the time goes. The sun, hiding under the distant horizon - is the view, which Wooseok experienced for the first time. Not having any orientation on this uninviting for him land, he wandered in the woods for some time, deciding what actions to take or how to save himself, while trying to lower the panic. Does he need to find the closest village? To go back to the gates? What if he can’t enter back without a living human flesh? 

And how does one seduce a man? By the use of pity? Beauty? Both?

The rain. Water falls on his light robe, which doesn’t suit the night temperature. Wooseok stops by the tree with wide branches, where Seungyoun will find him later. He breathes, calming himself from rushing into anxiety, caused by the uncertainty and growing worry. Being pulled out of your physical comfort zone in a matter of a moment is terrifying and stressful for every living form. But Wooseok could guess it would happen to him, he could see it months ago that sooner or later, he will be thrown out into the wilderness of this world. By force and no will of his own. 

He hears the steps. The man’s silhouette in the veil of rain. Is that the one, who will save him? The one, who will get death in return? The death as gratitude and gift?

Wooseok falls on the ground, rolling in the grease. He scratches his wrists against the wooden crust of the tree and helps with nails. Does this look like from the handcuffs? He heard hundreds of stories back in the otherworld about the traders and their ways of capturing. The folk tales, designed to warn to be cautious if you happen to be out of the Nawia, are his only knowledge about the humans and their conduct. He presses the small firestone into his skin to make the light bruises. He closes his eyes and freezes, acting unconscious and trying to stop himself from shaking when the raindrops hit his bare legs.

“Hey!” Seungyoun says, already feeling compassion. With the wish to help, he will be getting fed into the lies, believing the false story about the poor nymph, who was caught by the vicious people.

**_* * *_ **

"Why are you here?" Seungyoun clarifies, waiting until Yohan will reveal the goal of his long and, literally breathless, journey.

"You can break the curse…" Yohan looks up, regaining his stance and being ecstatic to deliver the good news, "...it can break ...by drinking the bodily fluid of someone, who passed it to you! We can find it!"

"Wait," Seungyoun shakes his head. "How did you know about this?"

"Listen, I was reading a book, and it's said there - by one legend…"

The hunter interrupts, "Stop right there. Legends are not for me," seeing disappointed Yohan's expression, Seungyoun tries to listen again. "Did it say which fluid at least?"

"No, it didn't."

"Well, then it double useless," the hunter clicks his tongue. He is no less saddened by how pointless the legend and the apprentice’s whole hiking turned out to be.

"But let's try something. Let's start from this - who did it to you?" 

"Who?" Seungyoun turns to look at the nymph, who peacefully listens to the conversation. "I don't remember who. It just happened." 

"But teacher…" in a loss of words because his help isn't worth as much as he thought, Yohan stops.

"So, you came here just for that?"

"Of course! I thought you can heal faster if we can go by legend."

Seungyoun sighs, "I appreciate it, but that's of no help."

"Can I at least, go with you too?” Yohan asks with hesitation, shifting his gaze from the hunter to the nymph back and forth. “I was losing my head, worrying about both of you."

"Well, I have no choice now. You traveled quite far," Seungyoun smiles, trying to be more welcoming to his apprentice, who tried to help him on this path for the innocent, or not so much, reason.

_*** * *** _

Yohan and Wooseok, sitting by the campfire, observed the calming river at night. Seungyoun fell asleep faster, as his body wasn’t able to keep itself energized for such a long time after the physical exhaustion of the walking and climbing.

"Yohan,” Wooseok starts, warming his hands by the fire, “I'm the reason why Seungyoun is sick."

"What?" Yohan looks directly at the nymph. His lips, which not that long ago touched his cheek, are glimmering in the orange light. 

"I lied to him about being held captive when he found me, and I know the way to the gates, I can feel where it is by the instinct, like everyone from the Nawia is able to. It was just an excuse, so he will lead me there,” Wooseok speaks and in the depths of his pupils Yohan can see the dancing shadows of flames. The nymph continues, “And I been thinking about it, and the truth is - I was luring Seungyoun. But not anymore."

Overwhelmed by the sudden reveal of truth, Yohan turns to look back, confirming that Seungyoun is still in a dream state. He gets closer to Wooseok, so no sound will escape. "Why are telling me this?"

"Because I feel something strange. It’s bothering me,” Wooseok says close to Yohan’s face. "I have the will to confess and not hide anything that I found wrong, but I can’t tell it to Seungyoun. It's almost like I can’t open my mouth around him each time I tried to say it. Is this what is called guilt?"

"I guess. Maybe you feel shame too."

"Is that the right way to get rid of it? Is that how humans do? By confessing?."

"Rarely, we usually just keep it inside," Yohan concludes, mesmerized by Wooseok’s face - inches from him.

"I think humans shouldn't just keep it. Telling that made me feel better.”

The thoughts about the difference between humans and entities from the otherworld don’t leave his mind for some time now. And the conclusion, which Wooseok came to - is that they would be more or less the same if the creatures from Nawia were having a little more empathy. 

"Sorry to say this, but I didn't know the nymphs could feel such things," Yohan points out this one exact argument on why the complete similarity can't be achieved. 

"I don't know about others, but I do. And after I met Seungyoun, the emotions became even more intense."

"Strange. But you still don't have a soul?"

"No, I don't. I can't possibly have it.”

Wooseok wishes he don’t or it could be troublesome. But no one ever told him how to define and recognize the soul inside - it was too much of a rarity for the otherworld. And then, would Wooseok be even more comparable to the humans if he had it? The nymph figures that maybe it’s the reason why the gates will be closed for those, who achieved the soul - this higher consciousness of being. Thus he can’t let himself discover it or the path to his lands will be forever forbidden for him. 

At this point, the apprentice is too close to the nymph's face: he can see the natural glow of the skin in the light, the creases on Wooseok’s lips and the long eyelashes. Yohan feels the drive. The secret wish, which floated to the surface. To kiss Wooseok - the beautiful and mysterious stranger, obsession over whom bothers his mind every waking hour. He moves his head closer, desiring to touch the puffy skin of the nymph's lips. Wooseok notices, stepping back. Yohan's breath hitches and he almost loses his balance. He needs to explain the situation, to save his face and find an excuse because, unfortunately, something so intimate isn't mutual yet.

"I was just wondering…," still standing close to Wooseok, Yohan shifts his gaze to the necklace, placing it in his hand. Yohan tries to convince that the jewelry is what caught his attention in the first place. "...why is this amulet works on you? Shouldn't it burn your skin?"

After a pause, maybe minding the answer or maybe the strange Yohan's behaviour - for the apprentice’s horror, Wooseok responds. "Maybe, the amulet is of some special kind or it's too weak for me."

Yohan nods, getting the answer, about which he not so much cared and only used as the cover.

And as the fire hisses and the burning wood creaks under the high temperature, the travelers stay silent, waiting until the sleepiness will fall over them, while the lowest of the otherworld's beings circle around in the hopes of getting a bite. But they couldn’t be bothered less about the hungry spirits because of the occupying thoughts, dedicated to the different people. For one - it’s the disappointment of the indirect rejection and missed opportunity for the kiss, for another - worry about the sleeping body on the cold ground and his health.

_*** * *** _

Wooseok splashes the water and it embraces his skin. The river is warm from the morning sun but not as warm as back at his home, which causes the goosebumps on his torso. Seungyoun sits, hiding in the shadows and peeking glances. His heartbeat increases each time he notices the drops, sliding down the nymph's smooth skin. But no caramel scent is working its way into his brain now. Seduction charms not in action either because such simple non-aggressive magic wouldn’t have any power over the amulet. Seungyoun is amazed to realize that what he feels - is not the product of any enchantments. This is the attraction, biological and natural. Was it present all the time but he didn't detect it? Or he never dived deeper into his honest emotions and desires? Seungyoun retreats his gaze from the scene on the river, looking at the horizon. He is too far gone now. 

Yohan rearranges the items in his travel bag, checking if everything is present. But even during the important task, he couldn’t help but notice the visible chemistry between the two people. How one throws glimpses, acting like they are accidental, and how the other demonstratively shows off his physique, disguising it by having only the goal of washing. Those events ignite a slight irritation in Yohan, who’s being surrounded by the two love birds. That feeling comes not from the fact that Seungyoun and Wooseok are acting like they’re not aware of the obvious and two-sided attraction, something more sinister is in the seed of this burning sensation, which rises minute by minute - jealousy. 

It strikes him how the nymph gives so much attention to his teacher, looking down from the shyness every time their eyes meet, loudly breathing when the water hits him and turning away, but not enough to hide the details from Seungyoun. Wooseok catches the hunter’s stare, but instead of breaking it, he just flashes a friendly smile, making Seungyoun be the first, who averts his gaze. The hunter lowers his head, wandering in his mind about something while the tips of his ears are gradually becoming red.

Yohan bites his tongue and tries to focus on his duty - reviewing the items in the bag. But it’s hard and impossible. "All of this is not for him" - this obsessive thought still lingers in his head, he wishes to experience the same things as his teacher. For this lustful looks and smiles to be directed at him, to be desired too. He throws the bag and, in the hectic mind, the impulses take the lead.

"I talked with Wooseok last night and he confessed," Yohan says loud enough for the hunter to hear and to get his attention. "Seungyoun, he lied to you," he steps closer.

"Well, I guessed it. Maybe even knew,’ Seungyoun gazes at the river again. 

"You knew? About the fact that he is lured you? That he lied about his whereabouts before he met you? That he lied about not knowing where the gates are?" in a matter of a minute, Wooseok’s secrets are gone one by one.

"I did suspect it. As disappointing as it may be. Thank you for putting it into words." 

"Thank you? Aren't you mad at him?"

"I just… feel pity that he have to do such things for a living,” Seungyoun closes his eyes for a moment. It’s hard for Yohan to read Seungyoun’s emotions. “Is there something else?"

To save the last of his dignity, Yohan adds the important piece of information, "He said he was luring you before. But not now, something changed."

Seungyoun, once again, turns his attention back to the tempting scene, "Maybe that's another lie. We will see," he says, leaving Yohan confused by such an understanding reaction. Because he wanted to ignite the anger and detesting in Seungyoun towards the nymph, but the plan crushed. 

_*** * *** _

The journey for the next days lacked in events, turning into the monotone walking deep into the forest and not so dangerous nights after all of them got accustomed to the weak spirits. 

For Yohan’s amazement, Seungyoun somehow grew distant to the nymph. And if Wooseok asked for something, he was quick to redirect him to the apprentice. Although Yohan was more than happy to provide care for the object of his secret attraction, something didn’t fall into place, giving Yohan the complicated mix of his own goals and the true will. 

At night, Seungyoun would move from Wooseok if he shifted too close to his space. At day, he didn’t put his hand on Wooseok’s waist anymore to help with the climbing and didn’t hold him if the sense of threat arose. Wooseok was getting surprised at the cold behaviour too but he accepted it, thinking that he is more than deserving of the sharp treatment for giving the curse to Seungyoun and being the vast motivation for this exhausting travel. “Maybe, it’s better this way,” he thought, suppressing any sadness from the lack of past affection from Seungyoun. 

The tense atmosphere between the two influenced Yohan as well, making him question if that was his words that put a crack in the hunter and the nymph relationship? And did he make the right decision by telling Wooseok’s confession? 

_*** * *** _

A few days ago. 

After Yohan bid farewell to his teacher and the nymph, who left to find the gates, he returned to his original mission and the matter of life - learning the basics of the hunting, which include not only the technicalities of making arrows from the rough wood, but the countless guides into the mystical life, which the hunters have to deal with at all times to protect themselves and not be affected by the magic. 

“𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒂𝒓𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝑵𝒂𝒘𝒊𝒂, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅” is next in the Yohan’s book queue, which he compiled from the local library. The low candlelight flickers each time, when Yohan turns the book page. But something is bothering him, doesn’t give time to focus. He touches his cheek, where the nymph’s kiss landed earlier. Yohan remembers, how warm and gentle were his lips, grateful for the meal. How delicate and gracious was his body, how polite and charming were his manners, when he ate the simple meal.

The apprentice shifts in his seat - it’s not wise to spend time on the naughty thoughts. He continues to read, going passage by passage and engrossing as much information as he can. By the middle of the book, Yohan finds the page, dedicated to the more than important theme. He pushes the candle closer to see clearly.

“𝑵𝒂𝒘𝒊𝒂’𝒔 𝑪𝒖𝒓𝒔𝒆 - 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒗𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒐𝒖𝒔 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒆, 𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒊𝒈𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒗𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒔𝒉 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒉𝒖𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒔, 𝒔𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒊𝒎𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒂𝒍 𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅’𝒔 𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒐𝒄𝒄𝒖𝒑𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅 𝒕𝒐𝒐, 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒆𝒎𝒑𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒇 𝒑𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒏𝒐 𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒔𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒔𝒐𝒍𝒊𝒅𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒚 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒇𝒖𝒍 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒆. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑵𝒂𝒘𝒊𝒂’𝒔 𝒄𝒖𝒓𝒔𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒉𝒊𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒓𝒄𝒉𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒖𝒔𝒖𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒔𝒆𝒙𝒖𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒔𝒎𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒅, 𝒑𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒖𝒎𝒂𝒏 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒓𝒔𝒕 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅 𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒅. 

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒖𝒓𝒔𝒆 𝒘𝒆𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒏𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒖𝒎𝒂𝒏 𝒃𝒐𝒅𝒚 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒚𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒐𝒖𝒔 𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒖𝒔 𝒄𝒂𝒏’𝒕 𝒃𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒇𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒅𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒄𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒂 𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒏 𝒇𝒍𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓.

𝑬𝒙𝒄𝒆𝒑𝒕, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒍𝒌𝒍𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒍𝒆𝒈𝒆𝒏𝒅, 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒏𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒉, 𝒔𝒂𝒚𝒔: 𝒂𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒄𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒉𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒊𝒕𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇. 𝑩𝒚 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒖𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒐𝒅𝒊𝒍𝒚 𝒇𝒍𝒖𝒊𝒅, 𝒖𝒏𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒉, 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒐𝒏𝒆, 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒈𝒐𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒖𝒎𝒂𝒏 𝒊𝒏 𝒔𝒖𝒄𝒉 𝒂 𝒘𝒆𝒂𝒌 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒆, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒔𝒐𝒍𝒗𝒆. 𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝒏𝒐 𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒎 𝒐𝒓 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒓𝒆𝒈𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒕𝒉 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒔𝒂𝒚𝒊𝒏𝒈. 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆, 𝒊𝒕’𝒔 𝒇𝒂𝒊𝒓 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒂𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒊𝒕 𝒅𝒐𝒆𝒔𝒏’𝒕 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒚𝒕𝒉 𝒊𝒔 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒂 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒅𝒖𝒄𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒉𝒖𝒎𝒂𝒏 𝒊𝒎𝒂𝒈𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏.”

Wooseok once again appears in Yohan’s mind. He can meet him again! This epitome of beauty, which never crossed his eyes before! Deep down, his true and main wish is to see Wooseok again. Yohan doesn't notice how fast the nymph’s charm got into his pores. The apprentice will use this passage as the reason to go after the travelers, omitting the one simple line, which says that the old folk tale is untruthful.

_*** * *** _

The time goes and Seungyoun increases the dose of herbs to keep himself in tolerable conditions. The dialogue with Wooseok reduced to the simple: "go", "here", "eat", "be careful" and other emotionless formalities. Although sometimes the nymph tried to be more open and inviting to the hunter, he didn't use the chance, continuing to be unwelcoming and cutting the talks, which touched any subject other than survival necessities. But now and then, Seungyoun can’t help but to reveal his true intentions.

One time, Wooseok hurt his finger, while pushing away the tree branches. The thorn pierced his skin. If on other occasions, Seungyoun just ordered Yohan to help with everything, but this time, when the hunter saw the blood, running down the wrist, the protective instinct woke up in its full power. 

"It doesn't hurt?" Seungyoun asked, gently folding the bandages.

"It's just a small scratch, don't worry."

Worry. It hits Seungyoun that it's what he truly feels - he worries and cares. The hunter doesn't want Wooseok to experience any form of physical harm. But if Seungyoun knew that not only the outer body is what bothers Wooseok, but the mind too. If only Seungyoun knew, that the main portion of the thoughts, which go through the nymph's head, are related to him. The turmoils, the fear for the future and for the deterioration of Seungyoun's health. 

Another time, at night, while feeling Wooseok's shiver from the coldness, Seungyoun covered him with his cape, whispering: "Here, It'll be warmer." 

The time, when he gave to Wooseok his part of the improvised travel soup although the hunter is the one in need of energy the most.

All those subtle and natural actions put Yohan at disadvantage in the secret goal of getting Wooseok on his side. And this goal was gradually getting more cloudy as the initial attraction to Wooseok (or rather the perfect ideal of Wooseok in his head) sank in. Yohan started thinking more rationally: is being together with the nymph is actually possible? and to what it can lead? To nothing good, he decides.

For now, Yohan wants to refer to his sudden and abrupt feelings as the result of some obscure seduction magic, to which he is especially sensitive. He regretted acting on an impulse, caused by the burning jealousy as it stirred the atmosphere around the travelers, preventing from the comfortable journey. And even if Yohan tried to pursue Wooseok out of his ignorance and lust, he would never rival with his teacher, who's actions still feel warm and caring, even amidst the unspeakable coldness between him and the nymph.


	5. Destruction preventer

The nights go by. The days go by. The distance to the gates is getting shorter.

But Seungyoun doesn’t know how much more he has left. At least, tries not to think about it. He still kept the control of his body and sanity of mind, thanking for it his youth and stamina.

The hunter wished that no threat, where you have to put out a fight, will occur, because Seungyoun wasn't sure if his power would be enough to withstand the battle and survive any caused additional damage.

But his wish didn’t come true. 

It happened at day, when no one expected the dangerous entity to come forward and block their path. The heavy rain with the piercing thunder was the first indication but didn’t ignite any fear into Seungyoun. The strong wind blows and the hunter starts to beware of the possible attack. But when the daylight is suddenly gone, turning the forest into the dusk, where you can only see your own feet, Seungyoun is convinced - the hazardous creature of many powers is here to claim their lives.

“Stay behind!” Seungyoun orders, putting out a hand before Wooseok and Yohan to keep them away from the danger.

The hunter looks around, trying to locate his target. Back and forth. Up and down. No one. The being stays hidden. Seungyoun turns his head to any sound, which his sensitive hearing can catch, but no traces of the creature, who’s still playing tricks with him.

“Show up!” Seungyoun screams. He takes out his arrow, pulls the bowstring. He has to be ready - the stranger can appear at any second. 

The whirl forms around the hunter, making him pointing his arrow in speed at any spot in the hopes of finding the creature. The fear in him rises as he is now cut off from the rest of the group, who are now shouting his name in panic. The hunter makes a deep breath in the attempts to keep himself focused. He hopes that he is the main target of the entity.

The whirl clears away, opening to Seungyoun the scene that he never aspired to see. At the few steps before him - the hero of the tales, which people used to scare their children from wandering in the woods at night. And they were right - this hero is indeed haunting and frightening. 

Wooseok gasps, moving back in horror and disgust. The one, who was not long ago excluded from the Nawia for misbehave and violence, scaring everyone in the otherworld, is right in front of them. No amulet will work against his power, he is not your ordinary and unintelligent spirit - to win against him, you need to put all your force ahead.

The vyhor - the manifestation of the dark power - is blocking their path, standing upright and grinning a nasty smile, which shows his rotten and missing teeth. His skin is covered in pits of dirty fur, the tail could reach two meters in its length, moving around behind the vyhor’s back, ready to hit with more strength than a whip. The abraded wings are filled with holes from the countless fights. Claws on his legs and hands are already worn off from the pressure of his weight and old years. 

But what especially made Seungyoun feeling nauseous is the special characteristic of this creature, which differentiates him from the other aggressive and similar in looks entities - the guts, visible and exposed to anyone. As the vyhor had no stomach, his intestines are showing to the outside world. 

But Seungyoun doesn’t have time to observe and linger in disgust, he needs to act. Now! The arrow misses the creature, hitting the tree behind. Another arrow. And the new one. All useless. Seungyoun is getting tired, trying to locate the vyhor, who is moving as fast as the wind, which he embodies. If the hunter wasn’t weak by the disease, he would withstand much longer without consequences. But now, he is in muscle pain, his vision is blurry and the sense of hearing is becoming dull.

Yohan and Wooseok are not trying to interrupt the fight because they have little to no experience in battles, where a weapon is a must. Seungyoun also didn't want them to try out their powers and, thankfully, the nymph with the apprentice are not the targets of the vyhor. Although they are eager to do something, to help Seungyoun to combat the threat, but it will be too reckless and thoughtless. Yohan pulls his knife, which he carried for an emergency, and if the chance arises - he will use it.

Although exhausted and disoriented, Seungyoun finally shots the arrow at the right spot - right at the creature's head. But it does no damage - the weapon just goes right through the vyhor, almost like he is transparent and has no body. 

Using Seungyoun's confusion, the vyhor steps to attack. The claw slides across the hunter's side, leaving a deep cut. Seungyoun was able to evade the full strength of the hit, so his wound could be less damaging to life. But maybe it's still enough? Still too much for how weak he is?

Seungyoun is on his knees, bending and holding his side. The pain. The blood. And the hunter's groans. His blouse is becoming red.

Wooseok can't withhold his actions anymore, seeing Seungyoun's state. The tales about the vyhor from the otherworld were different from the ones that are told here. In the Nawia’s version, there is an important detail and lifesaving addition - it tells how to kill and vanish the violent entity. And if Seungyoun’s arrow didn’t work then, maybe, those myths are saying the truth. 

He snatches the knife from Yohan's hand in a sharp motion. As the vyhor is preoccupied with the hunter, not paying attention to the others, Wooseok throws it in the creature's body, praying that he didn't miss. 

The knife falls on the ground, like it met with a wall. The steel is covered in dark-colored blood. The wind gets lighter until it's completely gone. Sunlight leaks through the forest again. The danger disappeared. Everything got back to its rightful place - except for Seungyoun’s state.

The nymph runs to the hunter, who is ready to pass out at any moment. Seungyoun’s hand, holding his side, is filled with fluid. The stream doesn't stop. Yohan witnesses this miserable picture, standing at a distance. He looks down, feeling shame from his powerlessness.

_*** * *** _

Body to body. Wooseok's naked figure embraces the unconscious hunter. The healing power, described in legends, doesn't need barriers in the form of clothes. The nymph's hand is placed on the wound, directing the energy. The cut slowly dissolves, soon to be completely gone. Wooseok wished he could heal not only the physical damages but the inside ones too. To let Seungyoun be free of the curse. But, unfortunately, it's impossible. The energy, born from within, can only be pointed to the outside recovery. 

Yohan, at this time, prepares the herb tea for the hunter to drink later. He couldn’t help but worry about the conditions of his teacher after the serious wound and how much weaker will he be after. The scene of a naked Wooseok, who holds his teacher as tight as possible, for some reason, doesn’t evoke jealousy in Yohan. Although he wished to be on a receiving end of such an intimate hug, what he feels now is remorse and pity for himself. And, surprisingly, respect for Seungyoun. The hunter, despite being left out of full power, took the risks and stood up front to protect his companions. And although Seungyoun wasn’t the one who defeated the creature, he acted brave and fearless, while he, Yohan, was left helpless and hesitant at the face of a threat. 

It reminded Yohan why, in the first place, he became the hunter’s apprentice. Because he admired Seungyoun and his skills, his ambitions and beliefs. Because he dreamed of becoming a person like him someday. One beautiful day.

And instead of the desire to better himself and obtain the valuable qualities in Seungyoun’s personality and craft, the want to be like your icon turned into an unhealthy direction - the jealousy. But seeing Seungyoun in a dangerous condition from risking his life to save those, who are important to him, made Yohan realize, what he lost not so long ago - the appreciation for Seungyoun and his real goals. 

The herb tea is ready, and Yohan is more than happy to present it to the hunter, silently thanking him for being courageous.

_*** * *** _

At night, while Yohan is peacefully snuffling in his sleep, Seungyoun opens his eyes. The canteen with tea, which got cold by this hour, is by his side. On the other side - the nymph, shivering from the weak wind. 

"What are you doing?" Seungyoun whispers, putting his blanket over the naked body. Strangely, he didn't notice any sharp pain down his ribs when he made a movement.

"I'm just…" Wooseok blinks, backing out from the trance, "...healing you."

"Oh, right, you can do this," Seungyoun relaxes, going back to lying position and unconsciously hugging Wooseok, because they share too little space under the same blanket. "But the other day, why you didn't heal your cut on the finger?"

"It doesn't work on me," Wooseok answers, amazed by the sudden Seungyoun's mood to chit-chat.

"Makes sense."

A short pause, filled with their breathing, born from the unspoken issues that can be addressed yet. Or can they?

"Why did you tell all those things to Yohan?" Seungyoun speaks.

Wooseok slides down Seungyoun's chest. It's warm in his arms. Warm both physically and mentally. The nymph remembers his fight with the samodiva, the evil creature, who belittled him at any given point. How the meaning of her words - about betraying Seungyoun's trust and luring him - hurt Wooseok and got into his head, until he couldn't hold it anymore - he needed to tell, to wash away some part of the guilt and find relief.

"So, he said it to you? That's why you've been so cold lately?" his voice gets quieter. "It was too much to keep it inside. The truth has to be told, at least to someone. But I'm glad you know it too."

"You told him that something has changed. That you don't want to lure me anymore…" Seungyoun plays with the nymph's hair, curling it in his fingers, silky and soft. He can’t prevent himself from showing affection anymore, especially when he can catch the light scent of the caramel, familiar and soothing.

"I just…" Wooseok stops, feeling Seungyoun's touch. "I realized I want you to be well and healthy. But not be sucked out of your energy," Wooseok laughs, like such an evil act is something too foreign for his nature and can’t be possibly done.

"When did you understand that?" Seungyoun looks at the other's face, mesmerized by the glowing of his skin in the moonlight. 

"It started when you proposed to help me while I was under that tree in the mud. So, when we first met,” he starts to circle Seungyoun’s chest with his fingers, having no idea where that craving for affection woke up in him and how he learned it.

Seungyoun looks directly into the nymph’s eyes, dazzling and magical, "Wooseok, thank you for saving me."

"I didn't do anything," the nymph protests.

"You killed that monster and…"

"I just knew about the tale, in which he can only be defeated by the knife. If you weren't at the forefront, it would have been impossible to kill him."

"...and you healed me.”

"But that's what I should do! Why else do I need this powe–"

"Thank you," Seungyoun interrupts by placing a kiss on the forehead. The simple but significant action. 

It feels comfortable to be close after the days of thinking that such a thing is lost and forbidden for them. There’s something hidden under those pecks and arms around each other - but it, for sure, will remain unspoken and avoided. Maybe, this is something that can spark love, but Wooseok is sure - he can’t feel or ever experience this sacred feeling. And Seungyoun knows he is too reckless himself and thick-skinned to fall into such sentiments for someone. They close their eyes, just focusing on the calming warmth of their clasping bodies.

"Seungyoun?"

"Yes?"

"My heat will begin soon."

The hunter pulls Wooseok closer, holding his waist tight, "Yeah. We'll take care of that."

_*** * *** _

The next day – it started.

The essence pierced through Seungyoun's nose. His mind got cloudy, just like before. Filled with want and desire. His heartbeat increased. And the blood rushed to all the important places.

In a few minutes, they will reach the lost and abandoned forest village, if Seungyoun's memory is to be believed. They can find a place there. A hidden place to act on the call of nature.

"Seungyoun…" Wooseok says, weakly moving his lips. His head lays against the hunter's back as Seungyoun is carrying him piggyback.

"We will be there soon, hold on," he speaks, walking as fast as he can in his circumstances, trying not to avert the attention from the road. He is scared of becoming an animal-like, of giving up to the instinct right here and now. He needs to preserve until they'll arrive at some old abandoned cabin.

Yohan was ordered to walk from afar, although sometimes he could catch the scent and finally understand what happened between the hunter and the nymph in the capital. It's not like he didn't have a right guess about it, but now it's confirmed. 

The role of the sanctuary played a crippling barn with a half-broken doors. The smell isn't the best – the odor of a long time ago dried domestic animals' waste and of other mysterious things of unknown origin. Thankfully for Seungyoun, who isn't so fond of the disgusting smells, he didn't feel anything – all he can catch is the caramel, which is flowing into his eyes and ears, into his every pore. 

Wooseok settles himself on the layers of hay. Not the best place to have sex, having the dried grass to pinch your back. But they don't have any other choice than reenact the scenes from the cheap books about rural romance. 

Yohan stops by the entrance. He can't move forward to not violate the space of the two lovers. In his mind - that’s who they are. And he wasn't wrong – to his misery – the problem is that this title isn't acknowledged by the lovers themselves. 

Yohan leans on the wall, being left out like that time at Seungyoun’s house. But he can't change it and with the recent events – he is content being here, while his two friends are doing what's necessary. And the apprentice wants to believe it – that it's "necessary" and nothing else. 

But Seungyoun and Wooseok will get something more – the pleasure and release. Even in the dark, Wooseok can see the hunger in Seungyoun's eyes, the impatience in his movements. Can feel the lips, sliding down his neck. He hisses, when the kisses are too greedy. Can feel the hands, going under the robe and caressing his skin. Wooseok frantically tries to undo Seungyoun's leather belt as the foreplay is too long for his endurance. With more passion than they experienced ever before, the hunter and the nymph find satisfaction here – in the dark and dirty barn, filled with gruesome smells and hidden from the foreign eyes. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm sorry, i stopped it mid-smut :((  
> i'll make up for it in the next chapter <3 ♡

**Author's Note:**

> [tw: @sskissm](https://twitter.com/sskissm) & [cc](https://curiouscat.me/sskissm)  
> your feedback would be kindly appreciated <3


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